Multimeters are used for measuring a variety of electrical and physical parameters. A multimeter may be a handheld device used for basic faultfinding and field service work, or a sophisticated bench instrument capable of measuring with a high degree of accuracy. A multimeter may display information using any of several different types of displays, such as analog indicators deflected by electrical fields, or digital displays including liquid crystal display (LCD) screens.
Some digital multimeters enable a user to save measurements for later retrieval and analysis. As an example, some digital multimeters allow a user to save a measurement by actuating one or more buttons or switches on a multimeter interface. Additionally, some modern digital multimeters include a hold function that freezes a displayed value once a stable measurement is captured. A user can initiate the hold function, e.g., by pressing a button before taking a measurement and then pressing the button once more to release the display. In addition to these save and hold functions, modern digital multimeters may include several other features for allowing users to capture, view, manipulate, and analyze measurement data.
Notwithstanding the large number of features included in many modern digital multimeters, improvements in both hardware and software are needed to allow users to more effectively record, organize, and analyze measurement information.